Washing machines



April 21, 1964 YOSHIKAZU YAMANAKA r 3,129,577

WASHING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 4, 1962 INVENTOR Bum/Wm ATTORNEY April 21, 1964 YOSHIKAZUI YARAA'NAKA 3,129,577

WASHING MACHINES Filed Sept. 4, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

BY 4 1' W r 3,129,577 1C Patented Apr. 21, 1964 3,129,577 WASHING MACHINES Yoshikazu Yamanaka, Higashisumiyoshi-ku, Osaka City, Japan, assignor to Baiwa Kikai Kabushiki Kaisha, Wakayania City, Japan Filed Sept. 4, 1962, Ser. No. 221,057 Claims priority, application Japan Sept. 5, 1961 1 Claim. (Cl. 68184) This invention relates to a washing machine.

Washing machines heretofore in use, though there are many kinds of them, have been all more or less dependent for their operation upon friction caused by relative movements of the wash and water currents, and owing to these very movements not only has the wash often been twisted and kept from being thoroughly and evenly washed, but also its texture has sometimes been greatly damaged. The object of the present invention is to provide means of washing every part of the wash evenly without doing any damage to the texture thereof.

In order to attain this object, the present invention provides a washing machine which has a rotor rotatably mounted about a horizontal axis in a tank, and on the rotor is a plurality of outwardly convex bulges, which bulges extend from one end of the rotor to the other in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation. Over the rotor is a perforated cover which fits closely to the rotor so that the apexes of the bulges sweep closely adjacent the interior surface of the cover during rotation of the rotor. This causes the rotor and the cover to cooperate to produce an automatic movement of washing liquid in the tank outwardly of the axis of rotation of the rotor and inwardly of the axis of rotation of the rotor.

According to the present invention, in wash liquid having ordinary or chemical soap therein (hereafter designated simply as water) wave motions are generated in the tank which are high in amplitude and comparatively low in frequency, and the water has high pressure parts for compressing the wash and quickening the water in its pervasion of the wash, and low pressure parts for expanding the wash to force out the water from it, these two parts alternately reaching the wash to produce effective vibratory washing action, particularly in the upper part of the tank in which the water pressure is lower, while in the lower part of the tank where higher water pressure prevails the wave-motion presses the wash, forcing out soiled water. And at the same time the whole of the water circulates in the rotary direction of the rotor and makes the wash go round with it for even and effective washing without giving any bad twists to the texture of the wash.

Other and the further objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification and claim taken together with the accompanying drawings in which is shown the preferred embodiment of the washing machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a sectional elevation view of a washing machine embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating water movements around the rotor.

-In FIGS. 1 and 2 reference numeral 11 indicates a cylin drical tank, supported on legs 12, 12.

In this tank 11 is a rotor 13 of cylindrical shape, which is driven about a horizontal axis of rotation by a motor 14 through a belt 15 on pulleys 16 and 17. Numeral 18 indicates a perforated cover made of a perforated plate, cylindrical in shape and fixed to the tank 11 coaxially with the tank 11 and the rotor 13, covering the rotor 13 so closely as to leave just a little clearance. In the tank 11 spaced slightly from the inside surface of the tank wall is furnished a basket 19 for containing the wash, the basket 19 being rotatably mounted on rollers 20 and being coaxial with the casing 18. Numeral 21 indicates a lid hinged on the tank 11 and numeral 22 indicates a lid hinged on the basket 19, the wash being put into and removed from the apparatus through these lids. Numeral 23 indicates a water line, and part of the basket 19 is above it.

The rotor 13 is a solid member having a plurality of bulges 24 on the peripheral surface thereof, said bulges 24 extending from one end of the rotor to the other, and having a cross sectional shape which is outwardly convex. The bulges 24 extend parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor 13-. The perforated cover 18 has a cross section which is circular transverse to the axis of the rotor and it fits closely to the rotor with the apexes of the bulges sweeping closely adjacent the interior surface of the cover during the rotation of the rotor.

When the tank 11 is filled with water to about eight tenths of its capacity and the rotor 13 is rotated by the motor 14, the front side 24 of each bulge 24, that is, the side facing in the rotary direction of the rotor 13 presses the water in contact therewith, and this water gushes out into the tank 11 through the corresponding hole 18 of the casing 18, so that in this part of the water is generated a high pressure wave-motion, whereas in the water on the rear side 24 of the bulge 24, that is, the side facing in the direction opposite to that of the rotation of the rotor 13 there is generated reduced pressure, and the water outside the corresponding hole 18 of the casing 18 flows in therethrough, so that in this part of the water there is generated a low pressure wavemotion traveling in the opposite direction to that of said high pressure wave-motion.

The wash floating in the water in the tank 11, therefore, is rapidly washed by cooperative working of the high pressure wave-motion and the low pressure wavemotion, which alternately reach the wash.

On the other hand, pressure waves from the bulges 24 passing through the holes of the casing 18 generate vertically circular currents in the water, and under the influence of these circular currents the wash very slowly circulates in the rotary direction of the rotor 13, coming up to the neighborhood of the water level 23 occasionally, while getting washed evenly by this circular motion.

When the wash comes up to the upper part of the tank 11, the water pressure being lower there and the wave motions increasing in amplitude, their actions become more pronounced, accelerating the vibratory washing of the wash, and when the wash comes down to the lower part of the tank 11, the water pressure becoming higher, the wave-motions strike the wash and press out the soiled water therefrom, making the washing more effective.

It is thought that the invention and its advantages will be understood from the foregoing description and it is apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A washing machine, comprising a tank, a rotor rotatably mounted for rotation around a horizontal axis in said tank, said rotor being a solid member having a plurality of outwardly convex bulges on the peripheral surface thereof extending from one end of the rotor to the other and parallel to the axis of rotation, and a perforated cover over the rotor, said perforated cover being 3 4 circular in a cross section perpendicular to the rotor axis axis of rotation of the rotor from the side of the bulges and fitting closely to said rotor With the apexes of the facing away from the direction in which the rotor is bulges sweeping closely adjacent the interior surface of rotating.

the cover during rotation of the rotor, whereby said rotor References Cited in the fil f this patent and cover cooperate to produce an alternate movement 5 of washing liquid outwardly of the aXis of rotation of UNI TED STATES PATENTS the rotor from the side of the bulges facing the direc- 1,010,6 7 Klrcheis D80. 5, 1911 tion in which the rotor is rotating and inwardly of the 2,955,451 Delos Oct. 11, 1960 

